Au revoir and "because of many disaster's magnitude, the support agencies were unable to handle the effects"

Sweetie and I have taken the house off the market and I'm going to be busy with some minor improvements. You know how it is, you figure it'll take a week and it takes a month. (And costs three times as much as you thought.) I'll check in periodically and be back regularly in a few weeks (I hope!). Till then, hang in there and print off the post below for handing out to those preparing for the proverbial storm. It's the best description I know of modern life without electricity, other conveniences or adequate security. It's a repeat of a post three months ago. Related posts are at the first URL, the original piece is at the second.

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000ZDH

http://members.aol.com/keninga/looting.htm

LOOTING - NEIGHBORS CRUISING FOR YOUR GOODS

Each year disasters shred thousands of homes and mingle the tatters
of lumber,
drywall, shingles and roof tiles into one sickening blanket of scrap
building materials.

(Photo: Looters openly steal goods during Hurricane Andrew)

As if dealing with a major disaster was not enough, I have found
looting to be on the
increase.It is interesting to note now and it was appalling to
observe then, the majority
of the victims were demanding that the "government--or someone--do
something." The
prevailing rationale was that the victims were not responsible for
their own safety and
welfare. Unfortunately, the magnitude of this disaster shut down an
already
cumbersome governmental support system upon which they were
depending.

It was during Hurricane Hugo in the Carolinas that I first observed
the extent of looting
during a disaster. Of the hundreds of victims that I have dealt
with, most had lost
something to looters. Pillage even occurred in the rural areas. Then
came Hurricane
Andrew in south Florida. There the storm related damage estimates
reached 20 billion
dollars property damage, 250,000 homeless, 35,000 in shelters and
1.3 million lacking
power--one of the costliest disasters ever in the United States.
Here looting took on a
life of its own. Many times whole families, including children,
could be seen pushing
shopping carts full of merchandise they had stolen.

In any disaster cash is "king" after all the banks were closed.
Since lack of electricity
meant no electronic funds transfers or interior lighting for the
banks, cash was the only
method of purchasing in many areas. There was a surprising number of
people who
had emergency goods to sell but they did not accept credit cards or
personal checks.
For several weeks, victims could not even get their paychecks
cashed.

Unfortunately thieves and looters seek out those who have cash or
goods. Most
victims are to intent on making a purchase or solving their
immediate crisis to be aware
that others are watching them. They falsely assume, no one could be
so cruel to take
from those who already lost most or all of their possessions.

In large disasters, the National Guard will furnish some security,
but it will be delayed
by the extensive debris blocking the roads. The extent of a large
damage area makes
the efforts even less effective. Also the expedient focusing of
National Guard activity
mainly on town centers leaves rural residents unserved, disgruntled
and very vulnerable
to attack.During Hurricane Andrew, the Assistant City Manager of
Homestead,
Florida reported that he had a hundred National Guard next to the
city hall, but every
time he tried to direct them to a problem area, he was told they
needed approval from
higher up which sometimes took hours and sometimes days.
Unfortunately, there was a
severe shortage of on-site leadership.

Before the National Guard's presence is known, looting is always
widespread. In many
cases the plundering is done by "neighbors" from the next block. In
one complex,
during Hurricane Hugo, three scavengers gained entry into a number
of the evacuated
apartments. But when they began to pry one door open, one remaining
occupant
threatened to shoot. The looters then kicked in the door of the next
apartment and
ransacked it rather than face someone who was armed.

During one disaster, with no street lights, pitch blackness
prevailed at night. It was
frightening to see many people milling around after dark as both a
result of and cause
for anxiety. In one suburban area, the National Guard was unable to
enforce an
imposed curfew as people experienced the boredom and anxiety that
rapidly sets in
when normal patterns are disrupted. In some low income areas, the
bars were in full
swing by noon, and by dusk, bands of drunken men were moving out
into urban areas
looking for something to do.I recall a fright I experienced one
evening when returning
late to my motel during Hurricane Hugo's recovery operations. I made
a wrong turn
and found myself lost in the inner city after curfew. When I paused
at the first
intersection, several people brushed my car checking for an unlocked
door. I was
fortunate, for they might have broken out a window and crawled in.
Needless to say, I
did not slow down at other intersections.During Hurricane Andrew,
looting was
common place and accepted as a way of life. One victim from an upper
class
neighborhood told me " I was shunned by my neighbors because I
rejected an offer to
cruise for goods."

Or as Fred Taylor, Metro-Dade police director said,"The looting has
occurred in areas
made vulnerable in the storm. That's mostly homes on main roads,
convenience stores
and strip shopping malls. The takers included young people, old
people and people
with little kids."

In another situation, a looter was questioned about his looting as
he carried out a
television. He said, "I'm not looting - I need this television."

It was clear the looters knew the inability of law enforcement to
handle masses of
looters. "The police know we are here," said one female in her late
teens, who declined
to identify herself. She was pushing a shopping cart overflowing
with clothes through
the shattered plate glass window of a flooded T.J. Max store.

Police confessed they had more important worries. "Frankly, the
priority is not
property, " one said. "We're only handling life-threatening
situations." What he said is
probably true, for the victims I worked who lost most of their
personal goods or
business inventory due to looting saw very few arrests. Drug stores
and veterinary
clinics were especially vulnerable for drug theft.

But justice prevailed in one interesting instance. As the crowd
cheered, a woman was
handcuffed and led away from the Royal Palm Ice Company. Her crime:
Trying to cut
the line, nearly a quarter-mile long and 5,000 strong, waiting to
buy bags of ice from
the back of several trailer trucks. A dozen Miami police had been on
duty at the ice
house since 7 a.m. The wait was at least four hours; the cost for a
4-pound bag was
$5. "They are fighting in ice lines all over town," one policeman
said.

One thing I have learned is your protection will be your prior
planning. During the LA
riots, a major portion of those injured were going to get food or
water. If they had
been prepared to be self-supporting for two weeks, the danger would
have past. In
addition, I have yet to see a loss due to looting occur to anyone
who was prepared to
defend their property.During Hurricane Andrew, peaceful citizens
packed guns to
protect their flattened homes as looters pushed shopping carts
through downtown
Homestead, Florida. I talked with a lawyer who was a victim and who
had been away
in another city during the actual storm. His neighbors had called
him and told him to
buy shotgun ammunition. Being somewhat passive and not knowledgeable
about guns,
he went to a gun store and asked for ammunition. The store owner
asked him what
"load" he wanted. Then, noting the unsureness, added, "Is it to be
used for rabbits?"
The victim replied, "Well not actually--Larger." "For deer?" the
owner asked. The
victim stammered that he was from Homestead where they had looters.
The store
owner responded,"Well, why didn't you say so in the first place.
Here is the load you
need for looters." The homeowner told me that he now cherishes his
right to protect
himself.

During Hurricane Hugo, prepared neighborhoods barricaded their
block. Home watch
guards worked in shifts during the day and night. This system was
very effective. Active
involvement with neighbors now will aid in future group preparedness
actions. One
store owner I met was the only retailer in his shopping center that
was not looted. His
solution was a generator for light, a cooler for food and drink, a
comfortable chair
located in his doorway while on guard and a shotgun. He never had to
even point it for
all looters gave him full berth while seeking easier spoils.

The larger disasters experienced in this decade continue to breed
looting.
Unfortunately, because of many disaster's magnitude,Unfortunately, because of many disaster's magnitude, the support
agencies were unable
to adequately handle the effects. There was confusion and false
starts on the part of
federal and local agencies. Many victims had cause to feel helpless
and become angry
toward the powers in control.

In any survival situation, knowledge and advance preparation are
crucial although loss
cannot be completely prevented nor predicted. Yet understanding the
tendencies of a
natural disaster can enable one to become prepared physically and
emotionally. Surely
the mistakes made and the lessons learned from past disasters will
not soon be
forgotten--or will disasters continue to put unprepared people into
desperate straits?

I remember Hurricane Hugo. It hit us rather hard in our area of the
mountains. A couple of the summer home neighbors walked in to see if
my son and I where ok. Sent them on their away with flashlights and
water...sign of times to come.

If you need anything, let us know, can't be but a couple of hours
between us.

Old Git, many THANKS for your tireless efforts on behalf of this Forum, they are much appreciated. The MOST important thing is that you are AWARE, this factor alone will be invaluable no matter where you are located.

I read this when it was first posted & it gave me the creeps then, as
now. Time to get out the shovel & dig, I guess.

What REALLY angers me tho, is reading official denials of wide-spread
looting in the wake of these hurricaines. I've read in various places
that looting was not a problem in any of the disaster scenes. Maybe
there's a racial factor that no one wants to talk about. I don't
know. But denial seems to be official policy. Very creepy.

I can certainly empathise with your time constraints as I'm operating
quite constrained myself these days. Real life can be so intrusive.

Be safe; stay healthy. Looking forward to your return.

Hallyx

"I made some studies, and reality is the leading cause of stress
amongst those
in touch with it. I can take it in small doses, but as a lifestyle, I
found it
too confining. It was just too needful; it expected me to be there for
it ALL
the time, and with all I have to do---I had to let something go."
---Trudy the Bag Lady (In Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the
Universe)